You may have noticed on certain bingo sites there are banners which have instructions such as ‘download to play’ or ‘click to download a bingo game’, while other sites do not mention downloading.

That is because there are still sites out there that operate download bingo as opposed to We based bingo.

No idea what the difference is? This article is especially for you!

Download sites work as follows: you need to download the game onto your workstation and install it and only then you can play. This does not mean however that you can play offline, as some people mistakenly think. You still need to be online to play live with other users.

Web-based bingo sites, by comparison, have their own bingo games online with no need to download anything. How? They usually use Flash Player for this, which has good graphics. In addition, the program is not that big, so people do not have to download the game to play. An example of this kind of site is the well known Miniclip.com, which uses the same type of software for their games.

What’s the difference?

Download games are much bigger than the online games, with the quality of download games usually being higher, with excellent sound and animation. In addition, they run from your computer and therefore do not slow the connection down noticeably. It is only when connecting to the server that you may wait a short while.

So why are more sites going with Web based bingo games?

Probably the main disadvantage download is the time factor. In today’s fast paced world we seldom want to wait for anything and prefer instant gratification. This means that Web based sites are in general more popular.

Another potential problem with downloads is that many people play bingo away from their own computers. They therefore do not want to download the game, or may find that the download is blocked.

The creators of the game also have a problem with download games - people are able to copy them for their friends and thereby violate their copyright.

Immediacy is the biggest advantage of online game - users can start playing right after they register. The loading time for a game is comparably short.

In fact, most of the time the online based games are small in size and load really quickly.

This creates versatility and flexibility for the player - you can play these games anytime, anyplace, anywhere! So whether you are in an Internet café, at work or at home you can play.

The site does not have to worry about copyright infringement, because the game cannot be downloaded and copied.

What are the disadvantages of Web based bingo?

Simply, the quality of the graphics and the sound are inferior.

Secondly, the connection can be slow or even get lost when Web traffic reaches high levels, so you will have to wait a few minutes and try again.

To summarize, both download and Web based bingo sites have their fair share of advantages and disadvantages:  some people prefer online gaming while others will say download is better.

The best way to decide? Try both ways and see which meets your requirements and matches your circumstances best!